Fosi Audio ZD3 Balanced DAC Review

[TonyJZX]

the fact this is as low as $130 on ebay with11/11 sales and coupons makes it a no brainer

i do get there's some issues with the hdmi and the BT is truly 5yrs behind the times but as yet no one comes close with the price

and fosi at least update the firmware

 

[Deleted member 71304]

@amirm thank you so much for this review, I was waiting for it!

 

[Bleib]

cool, at last topping E50 competitor

I'd rather get this when it's on a deal

Footprint is bigger though

 

[Fosi Audio]

Thank Amir so much for the measurement and review

Again, we'd like to share the exclusive discount promo code for our ASR members: ASR15ZD3
The code applies to Fosi Audio official site, Amazon US and DE. For other marketplaces and platforms, you can enjoy special Black Friday discounts.
Fosi Audio website: https://fosiaudio.com/products/fosi-audio-zd3-full-balanced-table-top-dac

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHXH9RLZ

Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DHXBTG8P

 

[Matias]

Great little device, congrats, Fosi, you are on a roll lately.

 

[taleoffice]

I'd rather get this when it's on a deal
View attachment 408394
Footprint is bigger though

Yes, its a good, but it does not have HDMI input

 

[TonyJZX]

dl200 lacks hdmi

SMSL DL100 DAC and Headphone Amp Review

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the SMSL DL100 balanced stereo DAC and headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $179. The DL100 is a fair departure from standard SMSL offering in that it uses a stamped steel enclosure instead of machined...

www.audiosciencereview.com

dl100 is as low as$150

 

[Bleib]

Yes, its a good, but it does not have HDMI input

Ah yeah, I was thinking more about LDAC and headphone amp..

 

[taleoffice]

Thank Amir so much for the measurement and review

It would be nice to have a Plus version with analog input, then it would be awesome!

 

[Piotr]

We need basic smoke testing of the HDMI, not just from an audio quality perspective but to confirm its basic functionality with the TV.
Many of these devices have bugs in these simple features.

The following three questions should serve as a checklist:

- Does the device turn on and off automatically?
- Can the volume be adjusted (CEC)?
- Are there any noticeable sound issues?

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

Thank you Amirm.
About the product, it would be perfect with analog input as well. At the moment you can not add vinyl player directly to this. At the moment I have ZA3 amp and I would control the volume with DAC.

It has RCA output and XLR output, if you just have RCA input, how do you deal with XLR output?

 

[NeLey169]

the fact this is as low as $130 on ebay with11/11 sales and coupons makes it a no brainer

i do get there's some issues with the hdmi and the BT is truly 5yrs behind the times but as yet no one comes close with the price

and fosi at least update the firmware

100$ on sale

 

[NeLey169]

Thank Amir so much for the measurement and review

Again, we'd like to share the exclusive discount promo code for our ASR members: ASR15ZD3
The code applies to Fosi Audio official site, Amazon US and DE. For other marketplaces and platforms, you can enjoy special Black Friday discounts.
Fosi Audio website: https://fosiaudio.com/products/fosi-audio-zd3-full-balanced-table-top-dac

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHXH9RLZ

Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DHXBTG8P

Why USB type B insted of type C

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

Ah yeah, I was thinking more about LDAC and headphone amp..

Just let Fosi know what you want, they lack of a product which has LDAC and headphone amp.

 

[Martin]

OLED is the incorrect choice for a static display. I will likely be unreadable within 6 months.

Martin

 

[Multicore]

Amir calls it "desktop" but with those inputs, features, and remote it would work well also in the living room and TV room.

Fosi Audio should make something similar but with EQ for room correction and preference.

 

[AndreaT]

Wonderful review, great price. 10% off coupon on Amazon. Thank you Amir!

 

[CT Man]

We need basic smoke testing of the HDMI, not just from an audio quality perspective but to confirm its basic functionality with the TV.
Many of these devices have bugs in these simple features.

The following three questions should serve as a checklist:

- Does the device turn on and off automatically?
- Can the volume be adjusted (CEC)?
- Are there any noticeable sound issues?

Exactly my questions and there's no user manual available at this time at https://fosiaudio.com/pages/user-instruction.

In addition: Will the device switch automatically to HDMI input when a TV is turned on? Are volume levels remembered separately for each input?

The holy grail: balanced output, signal sensing for source switching, signal sensing for on/standby, separate "last volume" memory for each source, trigger in/out, HDMI with CEC where the TV remote does everything.

Many reasonably priced devices with all but one or two of those. I just want a good, flexible two channel system, not a big AVR box, where I can control music and control TV with a single remote for each. Essential in a multi-user household where other people won't grasp all the particular interactions of connected devices. The increasing prevalence of Bluetooth remote controls makes it that much harder to integrate devices for remote control.

 

[AndreaT]

Purchased, delivery Sunday!

 

[phoenixsong]

How's the bluetooth audio in quality?